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Vision floated quietly in mid-air, the Mind Stone on his forehead flickering weakly.
His mechanical face showed no emotion, but his voice was heavy with exhaustion.
"The outer shield has maybe 15 minutes left."
He looked up at the dome of the palace. "Carol Danvers is targeting the weakest point of the barrier with energy blasts."
Jiro stepped to the window, his super vision piercing through the walls. Outside, a horde of zombified superheroes were violently attacking the shield. Cracks had already started to form in the energy barrier.
"What are you going to do?" Vision asked. "With your power, you could just leave Earth."
Jiro turned to him. "I came to save people."
"There's no one left to save," Vision replied quietly. "Just mindless corpses."
He paused, his eyes fixed on the insane Wanda outside, lost deep in thought.
"I'll give you the Mind Stone. You should go." Vision finally made up his mind.
"You'll die," Jiro said softly, already understanding his decision.
"Wanda's not coming back," Vision said, shaking his head. "There's nothing left here for me."
His gaze pierced through the shield and locked onto the woman he once loved.
Wanda hovered in mid-air, surrounded by a storm of twisting, chaotic red energy. Her once-lively eyes were now just glowing red voids, filled with bloodlust. Her red hair whipped wildly in the magical turbulence, dried blood crusting the corners of her mouth.
"Goodbye," Vision murmured, barely audible.
He raised his hand and opened a tiny gap in the shield.
"This is my choice. But you… you have to leave." Vision looked straight at Jiro as he said his final words.
He plucked the Mind Stone from his forehead. It gleamed gold in his fingers for a second before he tossed it to Jiro.
The moment it left his body, Vision's vibranium shell lost all color, turning into lifeless gray.
The undead let out frenzied roars and charged at him.
Vision floated through the opening. Without the stone, he was like a marionette with its strings cut, crashing heavily to the ground before Wanda.
In the blink of an eye, the zombified superheroes swarmed him like a tidal wave.
Jiro stood still at Wakanda's shield, silent.
Outside, it began to rain. Thin, cold droplets fell steadily.
He slowly raised his hand. A golden magical rune glowed at his fingertips, and with a small motion
Crack!
The entire shield shattered like glass, disintegrating into energy fragments.
Zombie Wanda snapped her head up. Her crimson eyes locked onto Jiro as a storm of chaotic magic surged around her.
Zombie Captain Marvel floated beside her, burning with twisted energy flames, letting out a deep, guttural growl.
From farther away, even more zombies—superhero corpses, infected soldiers, and mutated beasts—all caught the scent of a living human.
"RAAAGH!!!"
Wanda attacked first. A wave of scarlet chaos magic roared toward him like a tsunami, tearing space apart in its path!
Jiro's eyes turned cold. In a flash, he vanished—and reappeared behind her, slamming a punch into her back.
BOOM!
A magical shield flared up behind her just in time to absorb the hit, but the shockwave cracked the earth beneath them.
Wanda spun instantly, her chaos magic forming countless blood-red blades that rained down on him.
Jiro didn't dodge. His eyes flared gold.
Zzzzt—BOOM!!
His heat vision blasted out, vaporizing every last magical blade in an instant!
He stepped forward—sonic boom!—and appeared right in front of her. One hand clamped around her throat, he slammed her down into the ground.
KRA-KOOM!!!
The ruins of the Wakandan palace quaked from the impact!
Zombie Captain Marvel dove at him from above, her energy-charged fist aimed at his back.
Without turning around, Jiro threw an elbow back.
CRACK!
Her chest caved in instantly. She flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through multiple buildings.
But more zombies were already charging in.
Jiro brought his palms together.
BOOM!!
A golden magic barrier burst into life, blocking every incoming attack.
His eyes lit up with blazing golden power, solar-level energy flooding his body.
"…It's over."
BOOOOM!!!
A blinding white beam of energy erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire battlefield like divine judgment!
Zombie Wanda screamed as her body carbonized in the light. Zombie Captain Marvel tried to resist—but was instantly vaporized.
Zombies surged toward him… and disintegrated mid-air, turned to ash by the purifying light.
The battlefield was swallowed in light. Under the sunflare's cleansing power, every undead creature was erased.
When the light finally faded, Wakanda was nothing but scorched earth.
Rain continued to fall, washing away the blood-soaked ground.
Jiro hovered silently above a sea of corpses. His black battle armor glowed faintly in the dark.
The golden S emblem on his chest still shone clearly under the stormy sky.
Beneath his feet lay broken bodies. Faint magical embers flickered in the distance.
Not far off, Captain Marvel's head rolled across the ground, her eyes still frozen in bloodthirsty madness.
Vision's body had been torn apart, his gray frame chewed and broken beyond recognition.
Jiro stood in silence.
He had come to this world and witnessed despair at its deepest.
He couldn't save anyone. Not even Vision's final sacrifice had changed that.
[Sir, global scan complete.]Jarvis's voice echoed clearly through the rain.[No human life signatures detected anywhere on Earth.]
Jiro raised his hand. The Mind Stone hovered above his palm, its golden glow pulsing softly.
He stared into it, his super vision zooming into the intricate lattice of energy flowing within.
[Ding! Mission completion: 100%][Reward: 10,000 growth points][Drawing random bonus reward...][You have received: Full Set of Kryptonian Technology]
The system's voice rang in his head, but he felt no joy.
He looked up at the dark sky, raindrops sliding down his face.
"…So this is what saving looks like?" he asked quietly, the rain nearly drowning his voice.
[Yes, Host.]The system responded calmly.[Sometimes, saving means ending suffering.]
Jiro stood still, scanning the ruined land one last time.
So many bodies lay scattered. There was no more life here.
He didn't look again.
With a burst of energy, he soared into the sky, breaking through the clouds into space.
Earth spun slowly beneath him—blue oceans surrounded by a continent of decay and ash.
"…Purify it."
Jiro pressed his hands together. The Mind Stone floated before him as golden magical runes spiraled outward, forming a massive magic array around the Earth.
"Solar Purge!"
BOOM!!!
A golden beam shot down from orbit, slicing through the atmosphere like divine retribution!
All across Earth, zombies looked up. Some of the more powerful ones tried to resist.
But the purifying light was overwhelming. Their powers crumbled, and their bodies disintegrated in the glow.
Cities, forests, oceans—everything was swept by the cleansing energy.
When the light finally vanished, Earth was silent. Dead.
Jiro floated above, looking down at the scorched planet.
[Purification complete.][Mission complete.]
He stored away the Mind Stone, opened a portal, and vanished into the depths of space.
"....."